Tee-forming device



March 27, 1928. 1,663,536

E. L. BASS TEE FORMING DEVICE Filed March 5. 1927 (j a [nzrenZar a particularly to a device of this general cha-rrendering it very diflicult to accurately form fit) Patented Mar. 27,1928;

f UNITED- STATES EDWA D-LELAND Basses snatches; ILLINOIS.

' TEE-FORMING DEVICE.

Application filed March 5, 192?. inerial No. 172,945.

1 This invention relates to devices for formmg tcesifor use in playing golf, and more actor including a mold or cup open at its lower end and a plunger movable in the upper end of the mold body for expelling the tee form. I

Devices of this general character are known, but'such devices are open to several table space and are rather cumbersome to is that the plunger is not-held sufliciently snugly to prevent looseness or play-thereof,

the tee, and particularly difficult to form a depressioncentrally of the top of the tee for reception ofv the ball. A further objection to devices ofthis general character now in use. is that thespring and the movable parts aseociated with the plunger are not properly housed and enclosed to protect the same from the injuriousefiects of the sand. So far as I am aware,in all devices of this type now in use it is possible toproduce a tee of but one height from agiven device. This is very objectionable as, under certain conditions, a'low tee is found desirable whereas, under other conditions, a higher tee is de sil'able. It is also true that some players consistently use a low' tee, whereas other players consistently use a relatively high tee. With the tee forming devices at present in use these varying conditions cannot be met, and such devices are, therefore, notentirely satisfactory. In addition tothe objections above outlined, it is one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a tee forming device of simple and inexpensive construction by means of which tees of differcnt' heights can be readily formed. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detail description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a tee forming device constructed in accordance with my invention: I

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower section of the body; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary inner face view of objections. As a rule, they occupy apprecisection or extension member 2. Thisbody portion of the upper section of the is opeuat its lower end andv is provided 1 mat its upper. end with a'relatively :thick top wall 3-fromwhich extends a comparatively wide peripheral flange 4 inclined upwardly and outwardly of the body. A neck 5 extends upwardly from the central portion of wall 3 and this wall is provided in, .its upper face with a depression or recess 6 forn'iing a continuation of the bore of theneck- A plunger rod 7 is slidably mountedthrough the top wall 3 within neck 5; andconcentric therewith. A hollow cylindrical, head 8' fits snugly within neck 5 sliding movement therein, the rod 7 having its upper end secured in the top 9 of the head; The neck and'the head form a housing for an expansion coil springlO mounted about the rod and seating in the-head and in recess 6, this spring being completely enclosed and protected by the head and the neck. A plunger 11 is secured on the lower end of rod 7, this plunger being provided with a central bore extending from its upper face and'internally threaded for reception of the threaded lower end of the rod. The lower face 11* of the plunger is of frustospherical shape and is curved on a radius approximately equal to the radius of a standard golf ball. The peripheral edge 11 of this plunger is inclined to correspond with theinclination of the inner face of the body, and the plunger is of such diameter that i this peripheral face 11 contacts with the inner face of the body a short distance below the upperend thereof to limit upward movement of the plunger. This provides a tight closure-about the plunger which serves to prevent entry of sand or other gritty substances into, the springhousing about the rod 7. It will be noted that the body portion of head 8 is of greater diameter than the may and the area of contact between the headaai'ulneck 5 is relatively large so as to guide rod 7 and consequently plunger 11 during movement thereof, preventing undue looseness or play of the plunger. This is of material assistance in forming the tee and in positioning the recess for reception of the ball accurately in the upper end of the tee. I

Upper section 1 of the body is rabbeted at its lower end and from its inner face, at 12, forming a depending peripheral flange 13. The rabbet 12 is adapted for reception of a flange 1% formed at the upper end of the lower section or extension member 2, this member being rabbeted from its outer face at 15. The flanges and the rabbets of the sections 1 and 2 are so related and proportioned as to fit snugly one within the other and have sufficient frictional contact to, under normal conditions, hold the sections snugly together. With the sections in operative relation the inner face of section or extension member 2 forms a continuation of the inner face of section 1, the inner faces of these two sections being flush to avoid ob-- jectionable projections which would interfere with proper forming and depositing of the tee. To eliminate any possibility of the lower section or extension member 2 being detached when not desired, I provide the slots 15 in the inner face of flange 13, the lower wall 15 of the upper arm 15 of the slots being inclined upwardly from their outerends, as illustrated in Figure 5. Pins 16 are secured in flange 14 of extension member 2 for cooperation with the slots. In applying the extension member the pins are inserted through the vertical arms of the slots and the extension member 2 is then turned in a clockwise direction, the contact of the pins with walls 15 serving to draw the extension member onto the section 1 so that the flanges 13 and 1 1 fit snugly within the rabbets 15 and 12, respectively, with their outer edges in abutting relation with the inner end walls of the rabbets. This provides a snug closure between the two sections of the body, which serves to effectually prevent the entry of sand 01' other gritty substances therebetween. When the lower section or extension member 2 is applied to the upper section 1, the device is adapted for forming high tees. The moistened sand is packed firmly into the body either by pressing the device into the sand or by pressing the sand into the body with the hand, as preferred. The device, with the sand packed therein, is then positioned closely adjacent the surface on. which the tee is to be de-' posited, and plunger 11 is depressed by engaging the fingers beneath flange 4 and pressing downwardly on head 8 with the thumb. The tee formed is thus ejected and the rounded frusto-spherical face 11* of the plunger 11 provides a rounded depression in the top of the tee for reception of the ball.

By detaching the extension member 2, the device is adapted for forming low tees. It will thus be seen that the device can be used for forming tees of two heights, the heights selected being those most commonly used by golf players.

By recessing the head for reception of the end of the spring, and providing the hollow head 8 which receives the upper end of the spring 7, the spring is completely enclosed and housed so as to be protected from sand or other gritty substances, and the device as a whole is of neat, inexpensive, and compact construction and can be readily carried in the pocket.

What I claim is 1. In a golf tee mold, an upper body section open at its lower end, an extension membersecured to the lower end of the body section and having its inner face flush with the inner face of said section, and means for releasably securing the extension member to the body section.

2. In a. golf tee mold, an upper body section open at its lower'end and rabbeted from its inner face forming a depending peripheral flange, an extension member rabbeted from its outer face and at its upper end forming a peripheral flange at the upper end of said member, the flanges of the body section and extension member fitting snugly into the rabbets of the extension and the body sect-ion, respectively, and means for detachably securing the extension to the body section.

3. In a golf tee mold, an upper body section open at its lower end and of a depth to form a tee of average height, and an extension member detachably secured to the upper body section and forming a continuation thereof for producing a tee of greater than average heig it. y

4. In a golf tee mold, an upper body section open at its lower end and of a depth to form a tee of average height, said section having a groove in its inner face and extend ing from its lower end, and an extension member having an element projecting into said groove and dctachably secured therein, the extension member constituting a continuation of the body member and coacting therewith to form a tee of greater than average height.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of March, 1927.

EDWARD LELAND BASS. 

